# phonetics

/fəˈnɛtɪks/ (US) · /fənˈɛtɪks/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/phonetics
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

the study of the sounds people make when they speak. It looks at how we produce these sounds and how we hear them.

For teachers: the branch of linguistics that studies the physical sounds of human speech. It examines the physiological production, acoustic properties, and auditory perception of these sounds.

## Examples

- She is studying phonetics to improve her pronunciation.
- The linguistics course covers both phonetics, which looks at physical speech sounds, and phonology, which studies sound systems.
- A thorough grounding in articulatory phonetics allows speech therapists to precisely identify which vocal tract movements are causing a patient's pronunciation difficulties.

## Usage notes

- Takes a singular verb despite the plural form.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.